A Mural of Hope

Renowned muralist El Mac (Miles MacGregor) has just completed his new work, commissioned by the San José Museum of Art, in Discovery Meadow, San José (see map).
The mural, Sophie Holding the World Together, is a portrait of seven-year-old Sophie Cruz, who has become a face of the American immigration reform movement. Born in Los Angeles to undocumented immigrants from Oaxaca, Mexico, Sophie first made headlines in 2015 when she crossed a police barrier during Pope Francis’s visit to Washington DC to hand the pontiff a letter asking him to help all immigrant children, writing: “My friends and I love each other without caring about the color of our skin.” Last year she gave a moving speech at the Women’s March on Washington. Sophie appears in the mural as a symbol of resolve and hope; a coming together across borders to fight for a shared future.

The mural is a collaboration between El Mac and The Propeller Group, as part of the collective’s ongoing project, Viet Nam The World Tour. It is commissioned by SJMA, in partnership with Empire 7 Studios and the Children’s Discovery Museum, in connection with the current exhibition, The Propeller Group. The mural is accompanied by a quotation from a poem by Mario Benedetti:

Sophie Holding the World Together is a permanent addition to San José’s public art scene.